The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Vehicle automation is the use of computer based control systems to augment or replace human input to operate a vehicle. The need for such systems is exemplified by our overburdened highway systems, where the differences in human reaction time cause sluggish traffic and deadly accidents each and every day.
In recent years, automobile manufacturers have begun incorporating many semi-autonomous features into their new vehicle offerings, such as brake assist, forward collision avoidance, lane departure warnings and adaptive cruise control, for example, with the goal of creating commercially viable automobiles that can operate in a sustained and fully automated capacity. Although this progress will undoubtedly lead to a safer transport system one day in the future, the transition period between no automation, semi-automation and fully autonomous vehicles will undoubtedly lead to situations where someone will question exactly who or what is controlling a particular vehicle at a given time.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a vehicular control mode signaling system that can provide a visual and/or electronic notification regarding whether a vehicle is under manual, semi-automated or fully automated control. It would also be beneficial if this notification conformed to an industry and/or government standard.